Bollards are short vertical posts that are often used to obstruct the passage of motor vehicles. In conventional systems, each bollard is attached to a horizontal steel beam that is embedded in concrete. In systems that comprise multiple bollards, multiple steel beams are used (one for each bollard), which are typically parallel to each other. The bollards are attached to the front ends, i.e., the ends that face vehicle traffic, of the beams. Steel rebar mats are typically positioned above and below the beams to reinforce the concrete and limit movement of the beams should a vehicle impact one or more of the bollards.
While the above-described systems function adequately well, these systems are inefficient. When a vehicle impacts a bollard, a moment is applied to the bollard that, if it were not adequately supported, would knock it over. The beam and the rebar mat that lies below the beam are designed to oppose this moment. In order to achieve this, the beam must be relatively long and thick, and therefore requires a large amount of steel to construct. The rebar mats that are provided above and below the beams only add to the amount of steel that is required to fabricate the system. The large amount of steel that is required in such systems unnecessarily increases the costs of the systems.
From the above discussion, it can be appreciated that it would be desirable to have systems and methods for supporting bollards that require less steel.